Nuristani’s statement cannot be considered official unless Karzai and his ministers speak about the outcome of the visit themselves.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s much-publicised visit to Qatar over peace talks with the Taliban is shrouded with mystery as many in the country believe that he returned empty handed. The president and aides have also kept quiet over the outcome, further solidifying the doubts around his visit.
Karzai was in Doha from March 30 to 31. Contrary to the established practice of briefing the media of the progress, he and even his mediamen and ministers in his entourage, decided otherwise and have remain tight-lipped. Qatar, over the last few years, has become the Taliban’s most chosen hotspot for an office.
The president’s return comes much to the dismay of the Afghans, who were optimistic of his visit to the oil-rich Gulf state. Qatar’s state media, QNA, aired a brief statement saying Karzai discussed “issues of mutual interest” with Qatar’s King Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.
The Afghan state media followed suit of its Qatari counterpart, focusing on highlighting ties between the two countries and Karzai’s invitation for Qatari investment in Afghanistan. Nothing was even mildly mentioned about the Taliban.
Afghan High Peace Council chief Salahuddin Rabbani was part of Karzai’s delegation to Qatar, which strongly indicated that the negotiations with the Taliban were on the agenda.
Though the Taliban did not issue a formal statement, their spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, told The Express Tribune that they had ruled out any talks with the Afghan president because the Kabul regime is ‘powerless and a puppet.’
On the contrary, Maulvi Shafiullah Nuristani, a member of peace council, told Tolo TV on Tuesday that Qatar and Afghanistan had reached an understanding to open a Taliban office. The peace council will be heading these efforts. He said that President Karzai told the peace council following his return from the trip that those Taliban members who are ready for talks will be granted immunity.
Nuristani’s statement cannot be considered official unless Karzai and his ministers speak about the outcome of the visit themselves.
Mujahid insisted that the Taliban’s ‘presence’ in Qatar is between them and the Qatari government and Karzai’s regime has nothing to do with it. Mujahid’s remarks could further complicate the issue because Karzai wanted assurances that Taliban’s office in Qatar will not be used for collecting money to fund the insurgency, nor will its existence be seen as a form of diplomatic recognition. Karzai wants the office to serve as a platform for peace talks.
Setting up a Taliban office in Qatar has, however, gained some recognition and is generally backed by major stakeholders, including US President Barack Obama, the United Nations, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Pakistan.
Afghanistan’s opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah wrote on his Facebook page that many political groups are accusing Karzai of keeping the details of his trip secret. “The likelihood of concessions being offered to the Taliban lie at the heart of their concerns,” wrote Abdullah.
Secrecy surrounding the trip has cast doubts over the already fragile Afghan peace process. The Afghan endgame is fast approaching and international security forces are packing up gear to leave next year. A lack of commitment on part of the US, Karzai, the inflexible Taliban and the directionless Pakistan may push Afghanistan into another crisis, one it may not be able to handle.
If there are no credible guarantors, the peace process and any resulting agreement will fail and Afghanistan may go through another round of bloodletting similar to the one when the Islamabad Peace Accord failed in 1993. The accord was signed by all warring insurgent groups because of a non-credible guarantor.
HIGHLIGHT: Though the Taliban did not issue a formal statement, their spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, told The Express Tribune that they had ruled out any talks with the Afghan president because the Kabul regime is ‘powerless and a puppet.’
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2013.
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